Diary, Egg, and Nut Free S'mores Cookie Bars

Who doesn't love making and eating s'mores around the campfire.  I know that it a treat that we enjoy every summer using marshmallows, graham crackers, and Divvies chocolate bars.  But for times when you don't have a fire, such as at the beach or a backyard BBQ, you can have these cookies instead.

Ingredients

½ c soy butter softened

¾ c packed brown sugar

¼ c soy yogurt (chocolate or vanilla flavor)                                   

1 tsp vanilla

¾ c graham cracker crumbs                                                                             

1 ¼  c flour

2 tsp b powder

¼ tsp salt

1 c dairy and nut free chocolate chips

1 ½ c mini marshmallows

Directions

Grease the bottom and sides of a square 8 x 8 baking dish with shortening.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream together the soy butter and brown sugar until soft and crumbly.  Next add the soy yogurt and vanilla and beat again on low speed.  

To make graham cracker crumbs take 1 packet of graham crackers (about 10) and place them in a medium ziploc bag.  push out the air and close it up.  Crush up the crackers with your hands.  Then lay the bag down and roll over the small pieces with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.  If you are feeling brave just crush them on a board with your rolling pin, but I usually end up with crumbs everywhere when I do that.  

Add the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and mix until a soft dough forms.  Take just less than half of the dough and press it into the bottom of the baking dish.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the dough in a single layer.  Sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the chips in another single layer.  Next comes the tricky part.  Take a handful of the remaining dough in press it out between the palms of your hands and lay it over the marshmallow layer.  Repeat this until all of the dough it used and the marshmallows are covered.  

Bake for 30 minutes and cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.  Otherwise the cookies are very melty and sort of fall apart.  I can't resist and always take a little bite with a spoon when they come out of the oven.  This makes 16 bars that are 2 x 2 inches.  

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Strawbabababerry Shortcake

If you have ever eaten strawberry shortcake at a restaurant or baked shortcake yourself, you know you will never buy those little six packs of "shortcake" at the supermarket again.  And if you have a kids with food allergies, you're probably wondering what you can make to have strawberry shortcake.  Try this recipe when you have some fresh picked berries to enjoy it with.

Ingredients

2 c flour

4 tbs sugar

2 tsp b powder

1 tsp salt

½ stick soy butter

2/3 c soymilk plus 1 tbs vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Measure the dry ingredients and pour into a medium sized bowl.  Stir to combine.  Make a well in the flour mixture and add the melted soy butter.  Stir gently with a large spoon.  Add the soy milk mixture and stir until it is all mixed together.   The batter will be very lumpy.  Be careful not to overmix the batter, it will make the shortcake tough.  Spoon into 8 clumps onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 14 - 16 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing in half horizontally.

While to shortcakes are cooking, rinse and slice 1 quart of fresh strawberries.  Sprinkle with ¼ c of sugar and let rest for at least 30 minutes. 

Place the bottom half of the shortcake on a dish and cover with strawberries and sauce.  Scoop soy vanilla ice cream on top.  Place top half of shortcake on the ice cream and serve.  Garnish with fresh mint if desired. 

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Raspberry Orange Scones

These will taste delicious, but they will probably look like a big raspberry mess before you bake them.  I had been waiting for berry season to arrive to try out this scone recipe.  I got some big juicy raspberries just for the occasion.  Well, they may have been a little too big and too juicy, but live and learn.  I would recommend small to medium sized fresh raspberries for this recipe so that they are not crushed too much when you shape the dough.  

1 ¾ c flour

3 tbs sugar

2 tbs wheat germ

2 tsp b powder

½ tsp salt

1/3 c cold soybutter cut into chunks                                                 

¼ c soy vanilla or plain yogurt

6 - 7 tbs soy milk

zest of 1 small orange

2 tbs orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 c fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Measure the dry ingredients and pour into a medium sized bowl.  Stir to combine.  Add the cold soy butter and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 butter knives until the mixture forms fine crumbs.  Next, add the remaining ingredients and stir with a large spoon until just blended.  Gently fold in the raspberries.  Kneed on a floured board 5 - 6 times.  The dough will be slightly sticky and the berries may burst and bleed into the dough.  Don't worry, they will taste fine.  Place the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Shape the dough into a circle 8 inches in diameter.  Cut the dough into 8 equal slices with a greased knife.  Brush with canola oil and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 18 – 20 minutes. 

Diary, Egg, and Nut Free Maple Sticky Buns

This recipe looks long and complicated, but don't let that hold you back.  It is not so bad.  I really used to enjoy a sweet sticky bun covered in syrup and nuts in the days pre-food allergies.  But I started experimenting with different recipes once my daughter was diagnosed with food allergies.  Visiting bakeries is a rarity for us.  Luckily, eating baked goods is not.

I often make these around the holidays and put them in the freezer because they take about 2 1/2 hours to make.  But they are a special treat to have any time of the year.  The whole wheat flour in these buns adds depth without making them too heavy and the maple syrup is a delicate natural sweetener.

Dough

½ c warm water

½  c soymilk plus 1 tsp vinegar heated in the microwave for 1 minute

1 ¼  c flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1 tbs wheat germ

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

2 tsp soy butter melted                                                     

2 tbs maple syrup

1 ½ tsp bread machine yeast

Sticky Bun Syrup                                                          

1/2 c soy milk

1/4  c soy butter

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c maple syrup                                                                 

Filling

1 tbs melted soybutter

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ c raisins

Put the ingredients into you bread machine according to the directions for a dough cycle and run the machine.  Mine goes as follows: water, soymilk with vinegar, melted soy butter, 2 tbs maple syrup, flours, wheat germ, nutmeg and salt.  Make a little well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast.  Run the machine on a dough only cycle.  

You can also make this dough in the food processor.  Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 tbs brown sugar; let stand for 10 minutes.  Place flours, brown sugar, wheat germ, nutmeg and salt in food processor.  Cover and pulse a few times to mix.  Combine soymilk, water and yeast mixture, melted soy butter and 2 tbs maple syrup and pour through the food chute with the food processor running.  Run until mixture forms a dough.  Process for 1 minute more.  Knead for 8 minutes on a floured board.   Place dough in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Combine the soymilk, soy butter, brown sugar, remaining maple syrup, and in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and pour into the greased 9 x 9 baking pan. 

When the dough is ready, turn it onto a well floured board.  The dough will be quite sticky and soft.  Roll it out to a rectangular shape approximately 10 x 12 inches. 

Dot with 1 tbs of melted soybutter.  Stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins.  Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough going close to the long side edges. 

Roll up the dough beginning with a long side.  Cut 9 sections that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide with a piece of dental floss.  Run the floss under the dough log and pull up the ends of the floss around either side of the log and pull them to each opposite side until it cuts through the dough.  Place the rounds each with the cut side down into the cake pans.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes and invert onto a dinner plate.  Wrap leftovers with plastic wrap and store for up to 3 days.  Heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving.    

This recipe can also be made the night before and refrigerated for 8 to 24 hours.  It is a great breakfast item to have on hand around the holidays.  It can be wrapped well with plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.  Take the dough out at least 24 hours before you plan on baking so that it has a chance to rise. It can be defrosted in the refrigerator.  

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries are a perfect fruit for snacking on fresh and for baking with to make many varieties of treats.  Blueberry muffins are a classic favorite that everyone loves.  Well, everyone except for my kids.  They think the blueberries get too mushy when they are cooked!  So I make these for myself anyway, or divide the batter and add chocolate chips to their 6 muffins and blueberries to mine. 

Ingredients

2 c flour

½ c sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbs wheat germ

¾ c soy milk or rice milk

½  c canola oil

¼ c soy vanilla yogurt

1 c blueberries washed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin tin well with shortening.  Measure all of the dry ingredients and place in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center and add the soy milk, canola oil and soy yogurt.  Stir with a large spoon until just moistened.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 20 – 22 minutes and serve warm.  Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.  You may also freeze these for up to 3 months when they are completely cooled and put in an airtight container. 

* variation

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Use all of the same ingredients, but reduce the canola oil to ¼ c, and add in 2 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice and1 tsp fresh grated lemon.  Mix and bake the same as directed above.  

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Baby Banana Cake

Bananas are a wonderful fruit and perfect in so many desserts.  Inevitably, there are also overripe bananas lingering in the fruit bowl that no one want s to eat, (especially me)!  I put them in the freezer and build a supply for banana treats.  I made this cake for my youngest child's first birthday and he loved it.  It makes one 8" or 9" round single layer cake that your little one or ones will enjoy.  

Ingredients 

¼ c soy butter softened

½  c sugar

¼ c plus 2 tbs c soy milk, plus 1 tbs vinegar

1 c flour

½  tsp b powder

½  tsp b soda

¼ sp salt

½  c mashed banana

¼ c soy vanilla yogurt

½ tsp vanilla

Grease and flour 1 round cake pan.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium sized bowl, measure dry ingredients stir together.  In a large bowl, cream together the soybutter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the mashed banana, soy yogurt, and vanilla and beat on low speed.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.  Add the soymilk and vinegar to a small mixing bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.   Next, beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute.  Gently fold in the frothy soymilk.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frost with chocolate frosting.  Right before serving slice a banana into thin slice and place around the edge of the cake.  Sift powdered sugar over the top and serve. 

This recipe also makes a dozen cupcakes or it can be doubled to make a two-layer cake or 2 dozen cupcakes as per these ingredient proportions:

½ c soy butter softened

1 c sugar

¾ c soy milk plus 1 tbs vinegar

2 c flour

1 tsp b powder

1 tsp b soda

½ tsp salt

1 c mashed banana

½ soy vanilla yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

Easter Bunny Cake

When I was growing up, my Grandmother used to make a similar cake every Easter.  My cousins and I always looked forward to this cake and what part of the bunny we would eat!  It is also a great little snack to leave out for the Easter Bunny the night before the big day.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 c sugar

1 c dark brown sugar

½ c applesauce

½ c canola oil 

½ c soy vanilla yogurt

½ c soy milk

2 tbs white vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

2 c finely shredded carrots

Measure the first six dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Stir them with a whisk.  In a large bowl, add the sugars and applesauce, oil, yogurt, soymilk, vinegar, and vanilla.  Beat the sugars and wet ingredients well.  Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat with an electric mixer until just moistened.  Gently stir in the carrots.  Pour into greased and floured round cake pans and bake at 375 in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.   

Let cakes cool completely and prepare a large tray for the cake.  Place one cake round top side down in the center of the tray.  Cut the other cake round into 3 pieces to make 2 ears and a bowtie.  Cut 2 lines lengthwise that are curved inward.  Place the 2 ear pieces above the head shape so that they are just touching it.  Place the bowtie piece under the head so that it is just touching. 

Tofu Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

¾  c tofu cream cheese

¼ c soy butter plus 2 tbs softened

1 ½  tsp vanilla

5 c powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together and a medium sized bowl.  Frost the top and sides of the bunny cake.  Reserve ¼ c plus 2 tbs of the frosting for piping the colored icing.  

Put ¼ c of the frosting in a small bowl and add a few drops of red food coloring to make it pink.  Add the frosting to a decorating bag or use a sandwich baggie with one small corner snipped off.  Pipe icing around the edge of the ears, the bowtie, and the mouth.  Add a small dot of icing for the nose.  Put the 2 tbs of icing into a small bowl and add a few drops of blue (or your desired color) food coloring and stir it up.  Use this icing for the eyes and decorate the same way as with the pink. 

Slice up a few strips of black licorice for the bunny’s whiskers and press them gently on each side of the bunnies nose.  Serve and enjoy!  Keep this cake refrigerated.

*  This cake can also be made as a traditional round 2 layer cake.  Use only 1/2 c tofu cream cheese, ¼ c soy butter plus softened, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 1/2 c powdered sugar.  Frost and fill.